Peugeot (bicycles) - History - Production Bicycles

Production Bicycles

During the first half of the 20th century, the vast majority of French-built Peugeot bicycles came from the factories in Beaulieu (Mandeure), France. Other Peugeot bicycles were built in Spain and, after 1978 or so, in Canada.

The Peugeot UO-8—a low-end 'ten-speed' sports/touring bicycle with a mild steel frame—was introduced into the U.S. market in the 1960s and sold through 1980. Equipped with Simplex derailleurs, the 28-lb. UO-8 of 1974 was considered to be an inexpensive 'all-round' derailleur-geared bicycle and had the characteristic long wheelbase of French bicycles, which provided stability and a soft ride on city streets and rough French rural roads. As a competitor to the heavier Schwinn Continental, the UO-8 was the most popular model distributed by Cycles Peugeot USA from its inception in 1974; it was sold in large numbers during the bike boom of 1972-1975. During the peak bike boom years (1972–1974), French bicycles were produced in numbers so large that quality control became an issue and parts were often substituted, swapped, or otherwise thrown together to meet high production demands, sometimes resulting in an amalgamation of different models. In the case of Peugeot, problems included paint and weld issues, along with occasional frame misalignment.

In the United States, the AO-8 was the entry-level Peugeot 'ten-speed' bicycle, which competed directly against the Schwinn Varsity, the Raleigh Record, and Nishiki's Custom Sport. Equipped with fenders and a luggage rack, it was designated the AE-8.

The UE-8 was similar to the UO-8 but was equipped with fenders, a luggage rack, and generator lights. The AO-18, UO-18/18C, and UE-18 were mixte versions of the AO-8, UO-8 and UE-8, respectively. In France, these models were roughly equivalent to the P-, PL-, and PX-8-series Peugeot road bicycles.

First introduced as a model in 1953, the PX-10E was traditionally Peugeot's high-end bicycle. By the early 1970s, the 21 lb PX-10E used a frame made with Reynolds 531 chromoly double-butted steel tubing and was fitted with lightweight aluminum alloy (Stronglite, Mafac, and Simplex) components, though by the mid-1980s it was upgraded to Campagnolo Nuevo Record crankset/pedals, derailleurs, and headset. The PX-10E was sold in the U.S. from 1975 to 1988 but it continued to be produced for sale in European markets through the early 1990s. Peugeot also produced lower cost bicycles with the PX-10's frame geometry: the PR-10 was made with three Reynolds 531 main tubes, and the PA-10 was made with hi-tensile tubing.

In 1974, Peugeot opened a custom bicycle frame shop (the Atelier Prestige) which specialized in the production of custom Reynolds-tubed framesets using thin-gauge butted steel tubing. These custom frames were designated PY-10. Similar to a PX-10 in design and styling, a PY-10 could be ordered to customers' individual specifications. Options included, but were not limited to, geometry and frame size, color, components, and braze-ons.

In 1977, the UO-10 was introduced, followed the next year by a slightly heavier road model, the UO-9. In 1980, the PH-8 displaced the UO-8 as the entry-level Peugeot road bicycle.

In later years, the Peugeot race team switched to carbon fiber tubed bikes which were referred to as the PY10FC. During this time Peugeot continued to offer a custom steel-framed road bicycle, the PZ10. PZ and PY bicycles were imported to the U.S. until Cycle Peugeot's withdrawal from the North American market in 1990.